I had no idea this happened, but General Mattis has just become the Commandant of the Marine Corps. Here are some quotes from him:

Mattis to Iraqi Tribal Leaders wrote:

I come in peace. I didn't bring artillery. But I'm pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, I'll kill you all.

Mattis to a San Diego Panel wrote:

You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them. Actually it's quite fun to fight them, you know. It's a hell of a hoot. It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up there with you. I like brawling.

I can remember thinking that, when I was a Captain and a Company Commander. What line troops don't realize is that, after Company command, Captains go off and spend about the next eight years going to schools and doing various staff jobs, before they get back down to the level they are working with troops. So senior Majors like the ones troops see are rusty on basic leadership, and common sense has been displaced by all kinds of theory and bureaucratic nonsense. Also, by that time they have invested enough years they've got something to lose by being a loose cannon. They're within a few years of having earned a retirement, but they're also trying to stand out against the crowd so they can get a Battalion Command (or in the Navy, a Ship or Boat). That makes for stupidity.

I can remember, when I was a Tank Platoon Leader, the new Battalion Executive Officer (a Major) came down to the motor pool. In our organization, the XO is responsible for maintenance, among other things. He's walking around "inspecting" the tanks. He comes over to mine, and he kicks the road wheel, like he's kicking a tire on a car. It would take about 500 pounds of force to move the roadwheel on a tank. The troops were aghast.

58. The following words and phrases may not be used in a cadence- Budding sexuality, necrophilia, I hate everyone in this formation and wish they were dead, sexual lubrication, black earth mother, all Marines are latent homosexuals, Tantric yoga, Gotterdammerung, Korean hooker, Eskimo Nell, we’ve all got jackboots now, slut puppy, or any references to squid.

When I was a 2LT, I actually got chewed out by a senior officer who heard me calling cadence for my platoon: "C-130 rollin' down the strip... a big fat lady with inverted-nipple tits..." (that's as far as I got). I was in PT gear, so he probably assumed I was some E4. If he'd known I was an officer I probably would have been sent to mandatory sensitivity training or something.

He told me that obscene or distasteful cadences are "no longer authorized" because they may be offensive to females, and that I should have better sense to do that while running right down the main avenue of post.

They were starting to. That was 1988 in a forward-deployed base where family members were not permitted. They were also "discouraging" smoking at the time. Back in the States a couple years later they were "discouraging" excessive alcohol consumption at official gatherings (such as Regimental Mess, i.e., "Dinings In", unit parties, etc.). In 1991 we had a female (Intelligence Officer) in our Mechanized Infantry Brigade. I think it was 1993 when, as Company Commander, I had to support "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", which caused my crusty old First Sergeant to threaten to retire. And, it's been all downhill since "Shock and Awe".

They were starting to. That was 1988 in a forward-deployed base where family members were not permitted. They were also "discouraging" smoking at the time. Back in the States a couple years later they were "discouraging" excessive alcohol consumption at official gatherings (such as Regimental Mess, i.e., "Dinings In", unit parties, etc.). In 1991 we had a female (Intelligence Officer) in our Mechanized Infantry Brigade. I think it was 1993 when, as Company Commander, I had to support "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", which caused my crusty old First Sergeant to threaten to retire. And, it's been all downhill since "Shock and Awe".

short version: you joined and everything went downhill from that point.

Should give you food for thought._________________Study finds stunning lack of racial, gender, and economic diversity among middle-class white males

They were starting to. That was 1988 in a forward-deployed base where family members were not permitted. They were also "discouraging" smoking at the time. Back in the States a couple years later they were "discouraging" excessive alcohol consumption at official gatherings (such as Regimental Mess, i.e., "Dinings In", unit parties, etc.). In 1991 we had a female (Intelligence Officer) in our Mechanized Infantry Brigade. I think it was 1993 when, as Company Commander, I had to support "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", which caused my crusty old First Sergeant to threaten to retire. And, it's been all downhill since "Shock and Awe".

short version: you joined and everything went downhill from that point.

Should give you food for thought.

Actually, I think our military was doing great until about the time Obama got elected.